{UAH} ANXIETY AS NUP RUBAGA DIVISION COUNCILORS FIGHT FOR NRM CASH

By Mulengera Reporters

All isn't well among members of the NUP Caucus for Rubaga Division where there is growing suspicion and mistrust among the newly elected councilors. The latest mischief, which has seen some of the newly elected NUP Councilors vowing to defy any guidance from Kamwokya-based party headquarters, relates to the desire by Musah Mbaziira of the NRM to retain the position of Rubaga Division Speaker ship even when his party is clearly the minority now. The ruling NRM has only 15 councilors in a council of 91 directly elected councilors. Majority (actually 64) are NUP with FDC having only 6.

The NRM supporters have resorted to blackmailing some of the newly elected NUP Councilors threatening to name and shame or expose those who they claim relied on NRM money to run their campaigns including the printing of campaign posters. It's also being claimed that Mbaziira, a wealthy businessman, sponsored campaign posters and nomination fees for some of the NUP councilors who eventually succeeded on the understanding they wouldn't object to his Speakership in the new council for the 2021-2026 period.

Leveraging on his cash, Mbaziira equally extended financial support to some of the incumbent councilors who managed to shrewdly ride on the NUP wave to bounce back. And he is now demanding that these old councilors help him to convince the new NUP Councilors to elect for him to Speakership again. Some of the confused new NUP Councilors are wondering why those they consider to be their seniors are busy lobbying them to consider electing Mbaziira as the next Speaker while telling them that Kyagulanyi and Kamwokya don't matter anymore since it will be secret ballot.

One councilor is quoted as telling some of the new councilors thus: "Those things of Kamwokya won't work because the law is silent on the role the party can play in determining the Speaker. It's our speaker and not for the Party. So, the law allows us to choose whoever we are comfortable with regardless of whether Kamwokya is happy with that person or not. That is similar to what court said when FDC tried to impose Doreen Nyanjura on Councilors as Speaker ahead of Abubaker Kawalya."

The councilor, who previously belonged to FDC which he/she quit after landing into problems after defying the party's position on Rubaga Speaker ship in March 2020, has continued emboldening newly elected NUP councilors to pocket Mbaziira's cash and vote the way they want regardless of what NUP dictates because it's their Speaker and not Kamwokya's or party headquarters. The new NUP councilors, already trying to lobby new Rubaga Division Mayor Zachary Mberaze to get them a private meeting with Kyagulanyi, are confused and fear being blacklisted by their electors if they ever allow NRM with only 15 councilors to produce the next Speaker.

Some of the well-facilitated senior councilors (formerly of FDC & DP), who are clandestinely working towards ensuring Mberaze faces a malicious Speaker from the NRM, have been telling the new councilors not to fear because it's after all secret ballot.

The new councilors are appalled as to why anyone can tell them to leverage on the secret ballot and vote for the NRM's Musah Mbaziira (who actually wants to use Speakership to vie for Mayorship in 2026) at a time their own NUP party has councilors who are equally interested in the same position of Speakership. These are Ronald Semaganda and Emmanuel Kiiza Mayanja.

The third councilor originally interested in the Rubaga Division Speakership has since developed cold feet after word went around that Kamwokya had blacklisted him after Mberaze rang Kyagulanyi and accused him (the deal-making Councilor) of accepting money from one of the mayoral candidates to falsify results on Mberaze's DR forms

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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